What's that one thing that's been a difference maker?

[tgreeno]

Taking my time & being quiet during entrance & set-up!

I know I used to ruin my hunts before I even took the stand off my back.

[seazofcheeze]

Hands down: IN SEASON SCOUTING.

Great fisherman use their locator to find fish before the start fishing. Great hunters find hot sign before they start hunting.

X2

I'll elaborate a bit on this concept and say annual patterns. Some spots are junk Oct 1 but red hot 30 days later and vice versa, which is why it's hard to beat intel from some ninja missions in season.

[treeroot]

Not from the beast: walking away from media driven hunting. Once I started going mobile and actually learning about deer everything changed.

From the beast: finding beds by not ignoring the little details. Still a lot to learn.

[Ack]

Two things for me.....in season scouting and, as Mike mentioned, choosing the spot within the spot. Being in the correct general area isn't enough when bowhunting....you need to get it down to the exact tree you need to be in, whether that tree is optimal or not.

[BBH1980]

There's has been so much that helped me understand the deer in my area... I'd say #1 would be where to look for beds and why they are bedding there.. when I found my first big buck bed the light went on and I started to understand how all the sign on the property tied together. It all made sense. Being a huge scent control guy I'd say #2 is learning about wind and thermals and especially about how well a deer can smell, that I can't beat that other than using air movements. #3 access.. hunting fsrm country they absolutely watch me. I know I've been busted before my hunt even started without me even knowing it in the past. #4 mapping... I used to look at maps but really had no idea what I was looking at it for. Now I do. #5 and arguably the most important thing.. not sure why I made it 5... but there are no shortcuts
you have to put time in, get out there and learn the deer on your hunting property be it private or public. #6 observation stands and not being scared to "burn" a hunt using one. It'll really help pinpoint movement before moving in and blowing out the area. These are 6 of the things I feel really helped me grow. There's so much more that's helped and so much more I have to learn.

[oldrank]

#1...Paying attention to how bucks will bed in relation to human activity. If you are not planning strategic access routes you may be done before the hunt even starts.

#2 thermals

[PK_]

Making the shot. Everything else is moot if you can’t make it happen at the moment of truth.

[Redman232]

1.) In season Scouting
2.)Being mobile

[Chuck B]

If I had to pick just one thing, which is pretty much impossible, it’s just simply going mobile. It changed everything for me and makes me think so much more critically. I used to spend five minutes deciding on which pre set stand to go hunt (when on private). Now, it is quite a process and the process isn’t totally done until the first stick is placed on the tree.

[justin84]

location. i was always hunting where bucks ended up after dark. i never followed the sign back to where i could intercept them during the day. never even thought about it, actually.

[Bowhunting Brian]

Calling in sick to work=more time in the woods.

[Twenty Up]

Time spent scouting and improving your overall woodsmenship.

As far as a particular piece of gear I’d have to say my GoreTex rain suit has been utilized heavily this year with all of the rain we’ve been getting.

[BradC36]

Pushing the envelope and getting more aggressive. I've gotten more impatient since joining the beast and if I'm not "on it" as far as hot sign and movement goes, I'm moving. Learning to be efficient with time has come as a result.

Other than that, scouting. In season and out of season. It's never a bad time. If I'm not hunting I'm learning.

[Killemquietly]

Some good stuff here, keep em coming!!! I've learned too much to list, but if I had to pick just one thing it would have to be hunting a "just off" wind where the the deer "thinks" he has the wind advantage. Finding that little "blind spot" has been a Game changer for me.

[Evanszach7]

In season scouting... hot sign... fresh tracks>rubs and scrapes